What Can You Do with That Degree? College Major and Occupational Status of College Graduates over Time

Do student loans delay marriage? Debt repayment and family formation in young adulthood

“…First, we control for initial earnings, which captures economic resources available to young adults during the crucial first year out of college, when undergraduate loan debt is at its highest. As wage growth is minimal in the initial years after college graduation (Roksa and Levey 2010), the inclusion of baseline income captures a sizeable portion of the variance associated with income changes over the four years post-college that we observe our sample members. Second, recent research has demonstrated that the strongest predictors of early wage growth for college graduates are field of study and school sector (Thomas and Zhang 2005).…”

Lifelong career mobility and change options in knowledge occupations: career pathway implications of initial degree choices

“…24), so that the career trajectory benefits of generalist as opposed to specialist degrees in the context of the knowledge economy and an era of mobility are unclear. Specialist degrees are designed for compatibility with the labour market requirements for particular occupations, and qualifications-related work is thus easier to find on graduation (Adamuti-Trache, Hawkey, Schuetze, & Glickman, 2006;Drewes & Giles, 2001;Fenesi & Sana, 2015;Frank & Walters, 2012;Goyder, 2014;Jackson & Seiler, 2013;Roksa & Levey, 2010 & Levey, 2010). These difficulties generally result in periods of unemployment (Pitcher & Purcell, 1998) particularly in males (Drewes & Giles, 2001), part-time or overqualified employment particularly in early career, or further credentialing (Fenesi 2015).…”

“…These difficulties generally result in periods of unemployment (Pitcher & Purcell, 1998) particularly in males (Drewes & Giles, 2001), part-time or overqualified employment particularly in early career, or further credentialing (Fenesi 2015). However, despite slower and more difficult labour market entry after generalist degrees, some studies have suggested careers are more mobile in nature, with resultant lower levels of any specific expertise (Calmand, Frontini, & Rostan, 2011) but that there can be a catch-up with eventually steeper occupational trajectories than with many early ceiling specific skill qualifications (Markey & Parks, 1989;Roksa &Levey, 2010).…”

“…There is generally less availability of skills transfer between specific skill occupations depending on the particular pair of occupations, so the high opportunity cost of change would render occupational transition and disjunctive change predictably difficult (Borghan & Golsteynl, 2007). In comparison, generalist degree graduates are more likely to be working in non-degree related positions where their general skills are more transferable, so the opportunity cost of change is lower and their level of mobility higher (Robst, 2007 (Roksa & Levey 2010). Alternatively, in a Canadian study, Fenesi (2015) argued that the current high enrolments in humanities in Canadian universities are more likely to indicate that students were ill informed about potential course outcomes.…”

“…Coladonato (2013) estimated that one third of new teachers in the USA have changed from another professional area of expertise into teaching and "Teaching 'is the second career of choice in the UK economy' (BBC News, 2004)" (Newman, 2010, p. 473) A perceived attraction of education, as noted by Roksa (2010), is that the outcome is a recognised and registered profession, which offers the graduate a professional identity, a range of identifiable skills and knowledge, and a tight connection with the labour market, enabling easier initial entry.…”